Clinical outcomes of stage-IV non-small-cell lung cancer in young patients and the impact of tumor markers.

INTRODUCTION: Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) diagnosed at a younger age have patterns of care, responses to treatment, and outcomes not entirely clear. A particular feature includes more advanced stages at diagnosis. Our objective was to characterize these young patients with advanced disease and evaluate the impact of targeted therapies. METHODS: Analyzing our cohort of 18,252 newly diagnosed NSCLC patients, we defined Young-age versus Norm-age based on the age distribution at the time of diagnosis. Stage-IV patients were investigated on their clinical information and outcomes; deaths were considered lung cancer-related. Primary outcome was overall survival (OS). Multivariate Cox models were built to evaluate independent prognostic factors in comparative age groups. RESULTS: We found 4,267 patients with stage-IV NSCLC (359 Young-age; 3,908 Norm-age). Young patients had predominance of females (52.6% vs. 43.3%, P = 0.001), never-smokers (43.2% vs. 14.8%, P < 0.001), and adenocarcinoma (73.5% vs. 62.5%, P < 0.001). Mean OS was 21.1 months in the Young and 15.1 months in Norm, respectively (P < 0.001). Young patients were more often treated with surgery (6.7% vs. 5.0%), chemotherapy (53.2% vs. 44.1%), and targeted therapy (10.6% vs. 5.7%). Molecular studies were assessed in patients when the mutation tests became clinically available (93 Young, 875 Norm) and revealed a critical role of targeted therapy in the improved survival of both age groups. DISCUSSION: Young patients with stage-IV NSCLC have a specific profile and benefit more when treated with surgery and targeted therapy. Molecular testing is critical in this population, where improved survival was identified. A more aggressive approach to this population needs to be considered.

Donation after circulatory death donors in high-risk recipients undergoing bilateral lung transplantation: An ISHLT database registry analysis.

Lung transplantation (LTx) using donation after circulatory death (DCD) donors has demonstrated equivalent outcomes compared to donation after brain dead (DBD) donors. However, data from the use of DCDs for high-risk (HR) recipients is limited. We performed a propensity match study to evaluate the impact of DCD transplantation on HR recipients. In addition, we assessed the effect of recipient profile (HR vs. non-HR) in DCDs and DBDs LTx. From 2009-2018, 1829 double lung transplants (DLTx) for HR recipients were identified. Of these, 131 were performed using DCD donors. There was no difference in survival between DCDs and DBDs among HR-DLTx recipients (p = 0.16). However, HR recipients had worse survival compared to non-HR recipients in DBD (p < 0.001) but not in DCD transplantation (p = 0.95). Our findings support that DCD lungs are appropriate for HR recipients and should not be considered inferior or higher-risk donors. Its use should be further stimulated rather than restricted.

What is expected in lung function after lung transplantation due to end-stage pulmonary silicosis?

In this study, we aimed to determine the impact of lung transplantation (LTx) on pulmonary function tests (PFTs) and survival among patients with end-stage silicosis. We included patients with end-stage silicosis on the wait list for LTx, between January 1989 and July 2015 (N = 26). Sixteen of these patients received LTx; 10 were eligible, but did not undergo LTx (non-LTx) during the study period. Retrospective information on PFTs (spirometry [volumes and flows], 6-minute walking test [6MWT], and DLCO) was retrieved from patients' medical charts, including baseline information for all patients and follow-up information for the LTx. At baseline, most patients presented with spirometric and 6MWT values that were suggestive of severe disease (FEV1 /FVC 76.5 ± 29.7; 6MWT 267.4 ± 104.5 m). Significant increases in these values were observed at follow-up in the LTx (P = .036 and .151, respectively). The overall median survival of patients in the LTx and non-LTx was 3.35 years (95% CI: 0.16-14.38) and 0.78 years (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.12-3.65) (P = 0.002), respectively. For patients with end-stage silicosis, LTx offers significant benefits regarding pulmonary function and survival when compared to non-LTx, and is a reliable tool to help this critical population of patients, whose only treatment option is LTx.